


The First Time They Met Nero

by ValkyrieShepard



Series: Nephilim Family [7]
Category: DmC: Devil May Cry
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Fluff and Angst, Incest, M/M, Magic, Panic Attacks, Twincest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-08
Updated: 2014-09-07
Packaged: 2018-02-12 08:44:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2102955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ValkyrieShepard/pseuds/ValkyrieShepard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nephilim have all sorts of magic powers. Creating babies apparently one of them...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In which I remember that this AU actually has a baby.  
> This is what started it all, I just got a little sidetracked.  
> With lots of help from legoline <3

Right here, right now, Dante was completely and utterly happy.

 

He was lying next to his brother, in the most comfortable bed he’d ever known, they had a business that was going well, Vergil had finally admitted that he loved him and just now he was thoroughly fucked out.

 

Dante was still breathing heavily as he lazily turned to look at Vergil, the biggest smile on his face.

 

“I love when you do that”, he said, glancing at his brother’s lips.

 

“What, fuck you?”, Vergil was propped up on one elbow, looking down at him. The look he got from him was so caring, and it made his heart skip a beat to know he’d been the only one to ever receive it.

 

“Yup, fuck me. You are _damn_ good at that.”

 

They were both grinning widely, looking at each other like silly teenagers in love. Though they’d both never had actually had silly teenager romances, so maybe they simply needed to catch up on all the sappiness they had missed out on.

 

Not taking his eyes off his brother, Vergil wrapped one arm around his waist, slipping the other underneath his neck, bringing them both into a comfortable sleeping position.

 

“We should do this more often”, Dante’s voice was muffled against Vergil’s chest. He sighed as he breathed in his brother’s scent, pleasantly mixed with his own.

 

“How would that even be possible? Contrary to popular belief, I am not a machine.” Vergil’s hand was lazily playing with Dante’s hair, lightly tugging at the little bit of white on the back of his head. It had never spread further, no matter how often Dante used his Devil Trigger, nor had it gone away. Vergil liked to tease him with comparisons to a skunk, mostly when he was annoyed at Dante - which happened a lot.

 

“I know you’re not”, Dante shifted slightly to get more comfortable. “Deep down you’re just a big sap.”

 

He chuckled, sending a pleasant vibration through Vergil’s chest.

 

“So are you.”

 

“At least I’m not a nerd.”

 

Vergil huffed. Dante never actually knew if it annoyed him or if he found it endearing. Both worked for him.

 

“At least _I_ know how to double click.” Dante could feel the grin spreading on his brother’s face. So he wasn’t a genius when it came to computers, big deal. He had other talents.

 

“Shut up”, he replied, squeezing Vergil’s ass, to remind his brother of just that.  

 

They both laughed and Dante glanced up as best he could. It was rare to see his brother openly laughing like that, he could just listen to that sound forever. And hopefully he would.

 

“You’re hopeless”, Vergil muttered as he leaned down to kiss Dante. It was slow and lazy, all their energy was spent. But this was good. Perfect. The perfect ending to a perfect night.

 

They settled back into their former position, Dante cuddled up close to his brother, sighing happily and sleep overcame them quickly.

 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Dante was woken by a strange feeling.

 

Something was there, between him and his brother…

 

Through closed eyelids he could see a faint light, and as he opened them he was partially blinded for a moment, before his eyes could adjust.

 

It felt like his heart had stopped and he couldn’t breathe.

 

For a moment he thought he might die, but something deep inside his brain reminded him he needed that thing called air, and he sucked in a breath.

 

“ _Vergil_ ”, he was shaking his brother, because this - he couldn’t deal with this on his own. “Wake up!”

 

Only slowly did Vergil open his eyes, ignoring the urgency in Dante’s voice. Evidently he was still in a post-orgasm bliss, he was usually much quicker to get up.  

 

When Vergil finally realized what had appeared between him his eyes went wide, there was fear - actual, honest to god - fear in them. And now that was something Dante had never seen before.

 

“Vergil”, Dante said again. “Where _the fuck_ did the baby come from?”

 

Between them was a baby, looking up at Dante with big blue eyes, his - and it was a boy, it was not like he was wearing any clothes - hair was white, just like Vergil’s. He didn’t seem to be bothered by suddenly appearing in a strange couple’s room, as a matter of fact he was gurgling happily.

 

“I… I….”, another first. Vergil didn’t know what to say, and that worried Dante. No way could he deal with this on his own, he needed his brother to be calm. He was always the calm one, he always knew what to do so why wasn’t he telling him what to do _right now_??

 

The baby seemed to sense the panic practically radiating off of both of them, and his friendly demeanor changed, the happy noises turning into worried ones, and Dante dreaded he would start to cry. He didn’t like crying babies.

 

Not knowing what else to do, Dante gently put his hand on the little one’s chest, rubbing it in a hopefully soothing motion. His hand was… tingling, there was no other way to describe it, and he just instantly _knew_.

 

He looked up at Vergil, not exactly scared anymore, but apprehensive.

 

“Vergil… he’s ours.”

 

His brother made a strange, squeaky noise as he backed away from the baby between them. If the situation hadn’t been so strange already, Dante might have laughed. Figured Vergil wasn’t exactly a baby person.

 

“That’s not possible”, Vergil finally got out as he scrambled away from the bed, quickly putting on some clothes, as they had still both been naked. “Babies don’t just _appear_ , Dante. That’s not how these things work.”

He was back to his regular voice now, annoyed at Dante for even suggesting such a thing, for being so silly, but he knew it was true.

 

“Vergil just get over here. You’ll know what I’m talking about”, he tried to stay calm, hoping it would in turn have that effect on his brother.

 

Wearing one of his terrible turtleneck sweaters Vergil finally stopped moving. He was looking down at the baby, his expression unreadable. But he did finally sit back down on the bed, gingerly reaching out, just to stop his hand before touching him. The baby was now watching Vergil intently. At least he wasn’t crying. But Vergil seemed to quickly revert into panic mode again.

 

Before he could do that Dante reached out to take his brother’s hand, using the same gentle touch as before, to guide it down to the baby’s chest. For one terrifying second Dante thought he may have simply imagined it - but he had been so sure he was theirs - before Vergil suddenly sprung from the bed, adjusting his sweater.

 

“Yes, you’re right.”

 

Dante let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding. He looked back down at the baby - their baby - and smiled at him. He smiled back, kicking his tiny legs in excitement.

 

“What the hell are you doing, Vergil?”, Dante frowned as he watched his brother take a seat in front of his notebook. What could be important now?

 

“We need supplies. Dante, we have nothing to take care of a baby.”

 

Oh. Take care… of the baby. Of course. They had no idea where he had come from, but it seemed like he would stay. Of course they would need… things. Baby things. Dante knew nothing about baby things.

However, that didn’t seem to stop Vergil, and suddenly Dante was just so grateful for his ability to keep calm in every situation, even though it had not seemed like it in the beginning. Well, even Vergil could be thrown off once in a while. A suddenly appearing baby was definitely a good enough excuse.

 

As he was trying to keep the baby in a happy mood, Dante was suddenly overwhelmed with how okay he was with all this. Why hadn’t he freaked out? He’d never had to deal with a baby his entire life.

He had also never thought he would have one. The life he had led, the chaos, the violence… not once had he even considered having a family. But now…

 

Why not?

 

They had a home. A life. And each other. He loved his brother so much…

 

Dante was ripped from his thoughts by the little one, grasping at him with his tiny hands.

 

“Hey there… baby boy”, they really needed to give him a name, he thought. “You doing okay?”

 

The baby just gurgled happily. Seemed like there wasn’t much that could phase him.

 

Vergil suddenly got up, rushing towards the door before stopping himself to face Dante.

 

“Okay I will go buy supplies”, he was nervously running a hand through his hair. Apparently he wasn’t as calm as Dante had thought. He started to move between the door and the bed, always remembering new things he needed to tell his brother. “You just. Stay here. And. Don’t move. Don’t drop the baby. As a matter of fact, don’t pick up the baby. Unless you have to, but don’t forget to support the head. Don’t do anything until I come back.”

 

Dante had stopped listening somewhere, instead he had started to make silly faces, making the little one laugh. Only when he heard the front door close he realized Vergil was gone.

 

“Looks like we have to entertain ourselves for a while.”

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warning for description of a panic attack

Vergil was gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white.

 

_This couldn’t be happening._

 

The car wasn’t moving.

 

Sometime between getting into his car and turning the key his brain had given out. Upstairs, in their bed, was Dante… with their child.

 

Their _son_.

 

How was this even possible, they were two men for crying out loud. His whole brain was screaming, this was _not_ how things worked. Science. Biology. All of that spoke against this happening in the first place.

 

But then they were not human, were they?

 

Both of them had to individually figure out their powers on their own. Until recently they did not even know they had the ability to heal another person. To their knowledge they were the only two Nephilim left on this earth, there was no one that could teach them, explain to them. Or tell them if this was normal.

 

It didn’t change the fact that there was a baby up there. Alone with his brother, who probably had never held a baby his entire life. He needed to get going.

 

Pushing all other thoughts from his mind Vergil instead focused intensely on the process of driving his car. Get into gear, signal, look out for others, drive, just drive.

He was a little surprised at himself for making it to the store in one piece. Only now did he realize how early it was, luckily enough not too early. Just a handful of other cars occupied spaces in the parking lot and armed with his list and a shopping cart Vergil made his way inside.

 

Just through the entrance he stopped for a moment.

 

Deep breath.

 

If someone thought demons were scary with their swords and masks and ugly faces, they had nothing on a baby store. Everything was just… so adorable. The whole store seemed to be designed in pastel colors, strange music targeted to children was playing, giving Vergil goosebumps. He’d rather fight a horde of demons than be here.

 

The few people in here, all of them women, seemed to be staring at him. Like they knew why he was here.

 

_Yes, hi, I fuck my brother and we have created a son about an hour ago._

 

Deciding to ignore the stares he pressed on, carefully going through every aisle, picking up every single thing they could possibly need. Diapers, formula, clothes, pacifier, baby creams and shampoos, things to baby proof the apartment, a car seat, a buggy… things were piling high in the shopping cart, but Vergil was thorough. Their son wouldn’t be missing for anything.

 

After everything on the list was checked off, he set the cart aside to make one last sweep of the store, stopping in the clothing aisle. He should get another onesie, just in case the other ten ripped…

But which one? Earlier he had simply taken everything in the smallest size he could find, but now he found himself wondering which color he liked better. Blue? Or was that too gender based? Get a pink one, or did that seem like he was trying too hard? Perhaps a whole different color but there were so many…

 

He couldn’t do this.

 

He couldn’t decide on a onesie how was he going to raise a child? What if the little one turned out to be like him? Weak and crazy, trying to take over the world? Because, he had to face it, that’s what he had tried to do, and if it hadn’t been for Dante, he might have succeeded.

 

Vergil’s knees gave out under him, while he was still clutching one blue and one red onesie. He wasn’t going to make it. It felt like his chest was constricting, he couldn’t breathe and his vision went blurry.

 

_What is happening please make it stop._

 

“Look at me”, a voice beside him said.

 

Vergil turned to face the woman talking to him and gasped, flinching back.

 

“Eva?”, he asked. It couldn’t be, she was dead, he had seen her, she had been the one to help him get back to his brother.

 

The woman had red, curly hair, but she seemed younger and the eyes… the eyes were different. No, it was not her.

 

“Sorry, no”, the woman’s smile was so gentle, so understanding, in that way so very much like his mother. “I’m Alex, and you’re having a panic attack. Just try to calm your breathing.”

 

She held out her hand, waiting for Vergil’s consent to touch him. With what little energy he had, he nodded, and her warm hand felt good on his arm.

 

A panic attack? Him? He had fought the demon king, had won against the demon king and he was having a panic attack? Because of a baby?

 

The pain inside his chest confirmed it.

 

Alex was talking to him, though he could not make out all the words. It did not matter, her gentle voice, her soothing tone, the soft touch, all of this helped him calm down. It took a while, but finally he was almost breathing normally again, the pain inside his chest lowered to a dull ache.

 

“I…”, Vergil was suddenly so embarrassed. He had all those walls carefully build around him, protecting him from being affected by things like this, walls that only Dante knew how to bring down. And yet…

 

“Hey, it’s okay”, the woman, who was kneeling before, was now sitting comfortably next to him, back resting against a shelf. “Believe me, I understand. Freshly baked or just found out your girlfriend’s pregnant?”

 

Was he going to just talk to this woman? It was not like there was anyone else, and he did not want to worry Dante more than he surely was.

 

“No girlfriend. Freshly baked, I suppose”, Vergil’s voice was shaky, but it felt good talking about it. “My… boyfriend and I… it was just sudden. I-”

 

“Oh thank god”, Alex interjected. “For a second there I thought you were straight. I’m hella gay too, by the way.”

 

They both laughed, and damn did that feel good. The pain was almost gone now and Vergil suspected she had counted on humour working, but he didn’t mind, because it did.

 

“It was sort of like this, with Jane and I”, Alex nudged him, smiling at his breathing returned to normal. “The adoption came through so suddenly and all of a sudden I was on the kitchen floor, not able to breathe. Don’t get me wrong, I love our son, and I wanted him with all my heart. It was just a lot to take in, it’s like… this huge thing, you know. Taking care of a child. So, my point is: This is normal. So please don’t worry about it.”

 

“Oh but I do”, Vergil ran his hand through his hair, it seemed to be a new thing he did whenever he was nervous. “If I don’t, he certainly won’t. I just wish… right now I just wish my mother was still here, she’d know what to do…” He paused for a moment. “I’m so sorry, I should not bother you with this and I should really get back, who knows what Dante got up to while I was gone.”

 

His knees were still a little shaky, but with Alex’s help he managed to get up and return to his shopping cart.

 

“Listen…”, he started, but Alex put her hand on his arm once more.

 

“I know, you don’t have to.” Her smile was eerily like his mother’s but for some reason it only managed to calm him more.

 

“Thank you, anyway. I don’t know-”

 

“Really, it’s okay”, Alex insisted. She pulled out a little notebook and scribbled something inside before ripping out the page and handing it to him. “Look, if you need any help, just call me. I know how scary it can be, especially if you have no one else. I didn’t have family either... but I changed it.”

 

Vergil smiled, the thought giving him new energy. A family. Their own.

 

Together they went to the register, the cashier staring at Vergil before starting to ring up the many, many items. Alex helped him get all the stuff to his car, impressed by the model, especially the custom operating system Vergil had installed.

 

After a brief goodbye Vergil found himself strong enough to drive home, though it took him several trips to carry everything he had bought inside the shop. Taking only what they needed right now, he went into their living room.

 

Dante was sitting there, in only his boxers, holding their baby, who he seemed to have made a makeshift diaper for. Out of a… towel?

Vergil didn’t dare move, didn’t dare disturb the perfect picture before them. Maybe this wasn’t so bad. Maybe they could actually do this.

Make a family for themselves.

They could raise their son, both of them, so he’d never have to be alone. Not like them, separated from the one person they unconditionally loved, no, he would always have someone. Nothing would rip them apart, there would be no pain, no demon king to ruin their family.

 

After taking a deep breath Vergil stepped inside the room, making his presence known. He started to recount everything he bought to Dante, as he put things away or placed them into neat piles that they could sort out later.

When he finally turned to face his brother again, he saw that he was simply smiling, and holding their son’s hand.

 

“What do you think of the name ‘Nero’?”, he asked.

 

Vergil glanced at the bottle he was holding, before placing it down and smiling back at Dante.

 

“Yes… I think I like that.”

 

“Will you please come over here?”, Dante’s voice was so quiet, so serious, Vergil needed to swallow and take a deep breath before coming over to him, fresh diaper in hand, and sat down next to him.

 

“Here…”, Vergil didn’t need to say anything else, just needed one look. It seemed Dante understood that for some reason, he couldn’t do this yet. He could provide, but… he couldn’t touch. Some invisible force stopped him, and it scared him.

 

Dante gently placed Nero on the carpet, removing the makeshift diaper before putting on the new one.

 

“There you go, Nero, all is well”, picking him up again, Dante turned to look at Vergil. “You know he’s really cute and all but… what the fuck, Vergil. How?”

 

Despite his mood he had to laugh.

 

“Dante, I really don’t fucking know”, he let his hand rest on his brother’s neck, gently stroking him with his thumb. “All I know is we’re going to take care of him.”

 

Dante nodded, and something in his expression changed, like he remembered something.

 

“Look, I just noticed after you had gone…”, he motioned to Nero’s right arm, which was glowing blue from the elbow down, the nails longer, almost like claws, with red scales all over the upper side. Vergil could feel the demonic energy radiating from it. “That arm… he’s already so strong.”

 

As if Nero had understood what Dante had said, he reached out towards Vergil with his demonic arm. He had no idea what this meant, or why he’d have an arm like that when none of them did. But it didn’t matter. They’d figure it out somehow.

 

Vergil stared at their son for a while, trying to will himself to reach out. This was their son, he had to. Nero smiled at him, a happy gurgling sound coming from him and that’s when Vergil did, letting Nero grasp his finger with his tiny demonic hand.

Dante had been right, he was already strong.

 

“What do we do about it?”, Dante asked quietly, as if trying not to let Nero hear.

 

Vergil was mesmerized by their son’s blue eyes, another thing that didn’t exactly make sense. He was theirs, he was sure of that, and yet none of them had blue eyes. Though he did have Vergil’s hair…

 

“I don’t know yet, we’ll figure it out.”

 

There was just so much to figure out for them. They could feed him, clothe him, but what about education? Friends? With an arm like that…

 

“If people bother him, I’ll just punch them”, Dante interrupted his thoughts.

 

Vergil was shaking his head but he couldn’t suppress a smile.

 

“I don’t think that would make for a very good role model…”

 

“Are you kidding?”, Dante huffed. “I’ll be _the best_ role model.”

 

“Oh this is going to be a disaster…” Vergil ran a hand through his hair. It was probably incredibly messy by now, but for the first time in his life, he did not care at all about his appearance.

 

“What could go wrong as long as you’re here?”

 

He turned to look at his brother, and they both smiled. Dante leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to Vergil’s lips, and his heart skipped a beat. How could he still manage to do that to him, after all this time?

 

Nero was stirring in Dante’s hold, pulling Vergil’s finger closer to his mouth so he could suck on it.

 

“Looks like someone’s hungry”, Dante was smiling up at him, not a worrying thought on his mind. But that was okay, Vergil could worry.

 

“I’ll get him something”, pulling his finger out of Nero’s mouth he stood and started to prepare the formula he had bought, following the instructions to the latter. There was just so much he could do wrong, he had to make double - and triple - sure that he did not hurt their son.

 

The little one wasn’t happy about being denied Vergil’s finger, his face scrunching up in disappointment. Whereas he was gurgling happily before, he now started to cry, almost looking offended at the loss of his father’s attention.

 

“Hey, it’s all right baby boy”, Dante’s voice was quiet, gentle. “He’ll be right back, don’t you worry.”

 

Vergil was testing the formula’s temperature on his elbow, as he’d seen… somewhere. He didn’t know why, but he just knew that’s how it was done… wasn’t it? It seemed all right to him, but just to be sure he waited a little longer.

Glancing back at his brother his heart seemed to swell. Dante had stood up, tiny baby still in his arms, and he was gently rocking him back and forth, a reassuring smile on his face. It didn’t take long for Nero to be captivated by that smile - and Vergil couldn’t blame him - quickly calming down.

 

It took most of his willpower to step forward, almost afraid to ruin that moment.

 

“Here you go”, he handed the bottle to Dante. What was wrong with him that he couldn’t do it? Couldn’t feed his own son?

 

His brother expertly switched his hold on Nero, supporting him with just one arm, as he took the bottle and started to feed the little one, who was already greedily reaching out for it.

 

“How do you know how to do this?”, Vergil asked, impressed by his brother’s skill.

 

“I don’t know it’s just…” Dante didn’t even look up, gaze fixed on Nero. “Hold the baby, don’t drop the baby, it’s not that hard.”

 

Not that hard… How Vergil wished he could be as okay with this as his brother was.

 

His brother, who used to sleep with everything that on the count of three hadn’t found refuge in a tree. He could still surprise Vergil…

 

Right now he was just so, so grateful for that.

 

Nero quickly drained the bottle, yawning contentedly afterwards, making Dante chuckle.

 

“I didn’t get much sleep either”, he said to Nero. “How about we take a nap?”

 

The little one’s answer was pretty clear: His eyelids were drooping, and another yawn followed.

 

“You are so cute”, Dante muttered to Vergil’s surprise. When did he start liking cute things? “Despite having your old man’s hair.”

 

“Hey! I have great hair.” Vergil stepped closer, letting his hand run through Dante’s hair, lightly tugging at it. Through the layer of exhaustion in his brother’s eyes he could see a flash of something else - lust. Vergil knew exactly how much Dante liked that, and he smiled. But now was obviously not the time.

 

“Save that for later”, his brother murmured. “You coming?”

 

“I…”, Vergil hesitated. He needed more time. “I’m not tired. I’ll start on baby proofing everything. And put the crib together. Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

He added the last part because Dante did look at him in that way… the way he did when he knew something was wrong with Vergil. Glancing down at Nero his brother evidently decided it could wait.

 

“Okay…”, he turned to walk to the bedroom. “If you change your mind you know where we’ll be.”

 

Vergil didn’t watch his brother leave, instead he started to busy himself, baby proofing every cupboard, every drawer he could find. He just couldn’t let his thoughts wander, scared of where they might end up. Lucky for him the instructions to put the crib together were so complicated and strange he needed all of his concentration for it.

After about an hour, and many curses he didn’t even know he knew, he had finally done it. He’d selected a crib made out of dark wood, matching the rest of the interior, along with a dark red inline. Perhaps he could order a custom blanket, have someone embroider the E and S for their parent’s initials. Nero would have to learn about them.

 

Vergil promised himself he’d just rest for a moment on the couch. There was so much still left to do, but he was simply so exhausted now. When he let himself fall down onto their couch, his head lolled back, resting against the back of it. Maybe just a few moments… closing his eyes for a few moments couldn’t hurt…?

 

Of course sleep overcame him, right there in a manner of seconds.

 

And that’s where Dante found him.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

Dante was woken up by tiny hands squeezing his nose, making him yelp in surprise and flinch back.

 

Oh right. Baby.

 

Nero was evidently delighted that he had managed to scare his father, he was giggling and grasping at Dante’s nose again.

 

“Wow, you’re a little jer….er…. rebel, aren’t you?”, Dante wasn’t too sure, but it was probably not the best idea to swear in front of their son. Oh damn, he’d have to watch his language now, didn’t he? Though Nero was still so small, he wouldn’t remember any of this… would he?

He didn’t seem as small as a newborn, but then Dante had never actually seen one of those. He was still amazed at himself, that he wasn’t freaking out. He should and yet, what was the worst that could happen as long as he and Vergil were together?

 

“Whatever, let’s go annoy your… other father”, carefully Dante lifted Nero up, cradling him so he could look straight ahead.

 

When they entered the living room and Dante saw Vergil sleeping there, he stopped in his tracks, smiling. His heart seemed to swell and Nero was delighted too, cooing and reaching out for Vergil.

The sounds were enough to rouse Vergil from his sleep. He was blinking slowly, looking around before realizing something.

 

“Ah shit”, he started to get up, but Dante gently pushed him down.

 

“Stay. I’ll make some coffee.” Walking over to the newly assembled crib, Dante stood to appreciate it for a moment. It was very tasteful and matched the rest of their furniture, but really, he wouldn’t expect anything less from his brother.

Reassuring Nero that he would be right back, he covered him in a blanket, as he was still only in his diaper. But knowing Vergil, they’d have tons of clothes for him by now.

 

After making the coffee, sugar and cream for himself, black for Vergil, he sat down next to his brother, handing him his mug. He clung to it, nervously rubbing the handle with his thumb and Dante remembered the look he’d seen on his brother earlier. Panic. Fear.

 

He gently laid his hand on Vergil’s leg.

“Hey, are you okay?” He needed his brother to be okay with this. As fine as he was now… he needed Vergil’s support, his calm.

 

“Yes, of c-”

 

“Don’t lie to me”, Dante interrupted. After seeing Vergil earlier, and now, he couldn’t believe that he was fine. Not completely.

 

Vergil regarded his brother for a moment, his expression unreadable. Dante hated when he did that. After everything they’d been through Vergil should know that there was nothing between them, nothing they couldn’t overcome, and yet he still threw up those walls. Shutting Dante out.

 

“I…”, Vergil started, but he looked down again, taking a sip of coffee before continuing. Dante waited, he knew not to push. “I’m sc- … worried. We have so little information.”

 

_Scared._

 

_He was going to say scared._

 

Dante set his mug aside, scooting closer to Vergil and letting his hand rest on his brother’s neck, gently stroking it with his thumb.

 

“I am too”, he said and Vergil looked up at him, frowning.

 

“But you’re so calm.”

 

“I know, it’s like fucking Freaky Friday over here!”, Dante smiled as his brother did the same. He couldn’t stay serious for too long now, could he? And he liked coaxing those little smiles out of his brother. “But real talk: With you, with the two of us, we can figure it out. I mean you’re the smart one and I…. have the looks, what else do we need? We won’t be a conventional one but we can be… a family.”

 

“A family”, Vergil repeated, pressing their foreheads together and closing his eyes. “I think I’d like that.”

 

Gurgling noises from the crib interrupted their little moment.

 

“Ugh, what an attention whore”, Dante muttered.

 

“Dante!”, Vergil actually looked shocked. He’d heard him swear countless times, never had he been offended before. “You have to watch your language!”

 

“I was joking, come on he won’t remember this, he can’t even talk yet!” Dante got up to pick Nero up once more, looking around the room to find some clothes for him.

 

Knowing what he was looking for, Vergil got up as well, purposefully walking towards a neat pile of boxes in the corner. He pulled out a green onesie, handing it to Dante.

 

“He’s not human, we shouldn’t just assume things.”

 

Dante did a noncommittal waving gesture with his hand, how bad could that really have been? Of course he didn’t tell Vergil that he was worrying about the same thing earlier.

He realized though that they were subconsciously already working as a team, moving in complete sync without the need for words and he had to smile.

He gently laid Nero, who was already back to his old, happy self, on the carpet and started to coax him into the onesie.

 

“We really need a proper place to do this”, Dante said. “Not after all the things we’ve done on this carpet.”

 

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Vergil shudder. They hadn’t gotten around to properly cleaning it after their last time and while Vergil had gotten a lot better considering his Mysophobia, Dante knew he still wouldn’t be able to rest until it was cleaned. Why had he made the mistake of pointing it out to him?

 

“I bought that, too”, Vergil said, pacing around the room, evidently fighting the urge to clean. “I just have to put it together. Oh and please do stop swearing in front of Nero.”

 

Dante rolled his eyes at their son, who giggled in return and kicked his little legs - now fully clothed.

 

“Fine, I’ll stop swearing, J-E-R-C face.”

 

“Did you…”, Vergil facepalmed. “Did you just misspell ‘jerk’?”

 

“Hey, no swearing in front of the baby!”, Dante was laughing, infecting Nero with it. He hadn’t exactly done that on purpose but he was an expert in turning situations around so Vergil would get annoyed.

 

“Dante”, Vergil started, but stopped in his tracks when he saw his brother sticking out his tongue at him. “Oh, our poor son…”

 

“Our son is the luckiest”, he replied, picking the little one up. “He has two really handsome dads, and one of them is really cool too.”

 

Vergil rolled his eyes, but Dante noticed the small smile playing around his lips. He seemed to be feeling better, this playful atmosphere most likely helping with it.

 

“What uh…”, Vergil took a step closer to them, but didn’t sit down. “What do we do now?”

 

“I don’t know. Live? Do whatever we would have done. Except with a baby.”

 

Vergil smirked.

 

“Believe me, you wouldn’t want to involve a baby in that.”

 

Dante gasped, feigning horror and pressed Nero close to his chest, trying to cover his ears.

 

“Why, Mr. Vergil what a naughty man you are!”

 

Nero giggled and Dante hoped to any higher powers that Nephilim babies weren’t that advanced.

 

“I suppose I could try and do some research. See if I can dig anything up regarding Nephilim and their children”, Vergil already had his back turned, picking up the not-quite-steaming mug of coffee. “Though I doubt I can find anything new. I’ve scoured every database for information on Nephilim…”

 

“While that sounds like so much fun”, Dante’s voice was practically dripping with sarcasm. “I do believe I will be spending the day with our adorable son.”

 

Vergil looked back at them from the doorway to the study, his expression gentle, but there was something else there, too… sadness. But why?

 

“If you don’t mind…”, he finally said and entered the study, leaving the door open behind him.

 

That was a good sign. Vergil tended to wall himself off from everything and everyone around him when he did research or… computer stuff. But this time he left a little crack, an entrance for them… for his family. This was a very good sign.

 

Dante was ripped from his thoughts by a sudden, angry wailing noise coming from Nero. His little face was scrunched up and started to get red.

 

“Oh no, what’s wrong?”

 

Well that was stupid. Babies can’t talk.

 

He stood up and started to gently rock his son back and forth, hoping that would help. When it didn’t he held Nero up, trying to determine if his stomach was rumbling. No… that was just his own. Something else caught his attention though...

 

“Ugh, gross.”

 

That only made Nero cry louder, earning a worried “Are you okay?” from the study.

 

“Yeah just… gotta change the diaper.”

 

Vergil’s head appeared in the doorway.

 

“I’ll uh… help.”

 

“Yeah, where’s the… diaper stuff?”

 

Dante was scanning the different piles and boxes Vergil had assembled. His brother walked to the box furthest on the right, carrying it over to the coffee table.

 

“Just put him down here”, he said. “I’ll assemble the changing table in a minute. Research can wait.”

 

Dante did as he was told, unbuttoning Nero’s onesie, sighing as he thought about the effort it had taken him to get him into it in the first place.

 

“Ew…”, Dante may have been very vocal about his displeasure with the diaper’s content but he changed it nonetheless, cleaning Nero with the supplies Vergil handed him.

 

“There, all better”, he said when everything was back in place and Nero was giggling again. “That wasn’t even as bad as I had feared.”

 

Vergil seemed to be mesmerized by the dirty diaper still on the table.

 

“Dante I…”, he started, nervously rubbing his finger. “I have to clean. Now.”

 

“Got it”, checking quickly if Nero was still okay, he laid him back into his crib, pushing it against the bedroom wall.

Next, he disposed of the diaper and joined Vergil, who had already started to gather his cleaning supplies.

Dante knew Vergil had already gotten so much better, these… urges had become increasingly rare, but did happen from time to time. At least nowadays he let Dante help, relinquishing some of his control, and he knew that had been a huge step for his brother. There was no arguing with Vergil here, the only thing he could do was help.

 

Together they started to scrub, in silence, because Vergil needed to concentrate, needed to see the germs dissipating. Dante was worried he couldn’t join his brother in an equally rigorous shower, for Vergil tended to scrub until he was raw when Dante wasn’t there to stop him from doing that. But they had someone else to take care of now…

 

By now Dante knew all the steps, knew how to get every inch of this place spotless. Together they managed it fairly quickly. Thankfully Nero kept quiet, perhaps sensing the tension in the room.

 

“The other rooms?”, Dante asked carefully when they were done with the living room.

 

“No… no, they’re fine.”

 

Good. This was… excellent! This was new. The first time Vergil had gotten into the mood and not cleaned the entire place. Dante could hug him, kiss him right there but that might only make him worse. He could wait.

 

“I have to take a shower”, Vergil said, taking off his rubber gloves.

 

“Okay but…”, Dante was hesitating. “I have to stay. Look after Nero. Please… please be good to yourself.”

 

Vergil hesitated. It almost seemed to Dante he was about to reach out…

 

“I will. I’m okay. I really am.”

 

Dante still couldn’t help but worry as he waited for his brother to come out of the shower. Nero had already fallen asleep again, he guessed babies that young didn’t really do much.

As soon as Vergil was done he slipped into the shower as well, knowing his brother wouldn’t touch him unless he was clean as well. Though Dante did notice that Vergil’s skin looked… normal. He hadn’t hurt himself.

 

When he was done, he finally slipped into some jeans and a shirt, and he saw Vergil leaning over the crib, watching their son sleep.

Dante gently put his hand on Vergil’s arm, nodding his head in the direction of the couch. If they were talking quietly enough, they hopefully wouldn’t wake Nero.

 

“You’re doing well, Vergil”, Dante said as he slid into his brother’s lap.

 

Vergil let his hands wander up and down Dante’s thighs, knowing he liked the simple touch.

 

“It’s all you.” Before Dante could protest he shook his head. “It’s true. You make me… better. I love you.”

 

Dante broke into the biggest grin as he leaned down to press a soft kiss to Vergil’s lips. When his brother let down his walls, he was simply… happy.

 

“Right back at you”, Dante said as he broke the kiss. “You do know we’re going to be fine, right? With the baby?”

 

A soft smile played on Vergil’s lips.

 

“Yes. I know.”

 

Nero’s sleep hadn’t lasted very long, as once more they started to hear crying from the crib.

 

“He might be hungry”, Dante suggested. “I’ll get him, you make the formula?”

 

“Deal”, Vergil replied, pressing another quick kiss onto Dante’s lips.

 

_Yes_ , Dante thought, _we can do this_.

 

 


End file.
